A man is dead and a firefighter is injured after fire broke out at a condemned house in New London on Wednesday morning.
Firefighters pulled 64-year-old Stanley Jacovich, a homeless man, from the home at 40 Eastern Ave. and he was rushed to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. He has not been publicly identified.
Authorities initially said a woman was inside the home as well, but later clarified that she was outside when firefighters arrived. The woman and a man were squatting in a trailer on the backside of the property and alerted firefighters that the victim was in the home, fire officials said.
“They were met by a couple in the street that stated that there was someone in the house. They went right in, got the guy out. He got transported immediately to the hospital with burns. They were performing CPR on the way to the hospital," said New London Fire Chief Henry Kydd Jr.
A firefighter injured a rib while moving Jacovich and was treated at the hospital.
Police said the house and one next door had been condemned and boarded up several years ago and that they'd received complaints of people squatting there in the past.
“About three years ago the city’s inspections offices and Ledgelight Health District had the two buildings condemned and boarded up because of the livable conditions of them. We'd issues on and off during the winter months about keeping squatters out of these houses," said New London Police Chief Peter Reichard.
One of the squatters was the previous owner, officials said.
Fire officials are investigating the cause of the fire.
